1. Boundaries/Limitations: What is the nature of a boundary/limitation? What are they designed to do? What characters are bound/limited throughout To Kill a Mockingbird and how do they break those boundaries in the novel? Give specific examples to support your thought. The nature and design of a boundary/limitation is to restrain someone from going anywhere or doing anything. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem Finch, Scout Finch, Arthur “Boo” Radley, Dill Harris, Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson, and Dolphus Raymond all break boundaries. Jem, Scout, and Dill break boundaries when they attempt to touch the Radley House: “Jem stood in thought so long that Dill made a mild concession: ‘I won’t say you ran out on a dare an’ I’ll swap you The Gray Ghost it you just go up and touch the house.’ Jem brightened. ‘Touch the house, that all?’ Dill nodded…Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful” (18). Jem touches the Radley House which results in Jem, Scout, and Dill’s summertime boundaries being broken. They also break boundaries many other times, most of them having to do with the Radley House. “Boo” Radley is breaking a boundary, as he is outside of his home: “He was still leaning against the wall. He had been leaning against the wall when I came into the room, his arms folded across his chest…’Hey, Boo,’ I said” (362). “Boo” Radley goes out of his house which he is never supposed to do, and thus breaks his boundary. Mayella Ewell is breaking a boundary when she is trying to seduce Tom Robinson: “‘She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unbreakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards’” (272). When Mayella is seducing Tom, she is breaking a time-honored code in her time period. That code is to never have a sexual relationship with a Negro. Tom Robinson is breaking his boundary when he says he felt sorry for Mayella: “‘Yes, suh. I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-’ ‘You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?’ Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling. The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair” (264). When Tom says he felt sorry for her, he is breaking a boundary because in this time period, Negros do not usually feel sorry for white people who look down upon them. Dolphus Raymond is breaking a boundary because he is in love with a Negro: “’Always does. He [Dolphus Raymond] likes ‘em [Negros] better than he like us [white people], I reckon. Lives by himself way down near the county line. He’s got a colored woman and all sorts of mixed chillum. Show you some of ‘em if we see ‘em” (214). Dolphus, like Mayella, loved a Negro so they are both, technically speaking, breaking the same boundary. However Dolphus is able to get away with it because everyone thinks he is a drunk.

2. Invisibility: Who in the novel is “invisible”? Why? To whom? What do you think is the author’s purpose in creating these invisible characters?“Boo” Radley, obviously, is an “invisible” character. Burris Ewell is another “invisible” character. “Boo” Radley is invisible because he is not allowed to go outside, so even when he is outside, no one notices his presence: “It was obvious that he had not followed a word Jem said, for all Atticus said was, ‘You’re right. We’d better keep this and the blanket for ourselves. Someday maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.’ ‘Thank who?’ I asked. ‘Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you” (96). “‘Somebody was staggerin’ around and pantin’ and-coughing fit to die. I thought it was Jem at first but it didn’t sound like him so I went lookin’ for Jem...

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1. Harper Lee uses characters and events from to KIll a Mockingbird to define courage by writing out how people reacted to certain things. Lee define's courage in her own unique way by showing how much courage every different character had in there own personal struggles.
The dictionary definition of courage is; the ability to do something that frightens one, or strength in the face of pain or grief. Scout being the main character shows courage all of the time. And in many different ways too.
In the beginning Scout has the courage of her convictions to stand up and explain something to her teacher. She gets in trouble, and remains optimistic about things turning around. Scout faces the most courage, I would have to say when she is being bullied. Francis, her cousin tells her negative things about Atticus and since she promised Atticus that she wouldn't fight anyone, she has the courage to stay put and not bully him back. Even though she almost attacked him at the end. That was self restraint and I wouldn't have been able to hold on for so long.
Atticus Finch, Scout's dad, I have to say has the most courage out of all the characters in to Kill A Mockingbird. He is faithful to his teachings by acting on. He faces a trial he knows he won't win, but still tries his best to win, for a innocent African American. HIs courage and endurance is put to the test. When the entire town doesn't approve of his part in the...

...To Kill a Mockingbird Theme Questions
1) What were the four major ‘classes’ in Maycomb society like and how did they relate to each other and why?
The four major classes in Maycomb were the Townsfolk, the Cunninghams, the Ewells and the Negroes. The townsfolk were a snobby bunch who spent their time spreading gossip. They were generally more educated and richer than the other classes. The Cunninghams were poor country folk who had to pay in food and produce rather than in money. They were uneducated farmers but did have some morals so were not completely trashy. The Ewells were the scum of the society and knew it. Although the Ewells were the ‘trash’ of society, they were automatically placed higher than the Negroes because they were white. The Negroes were the bottom class in Maycomb society. Negroes were loyal, equal among themselves and suspicious of all white people.
In relation to each other, the townsfolk were educated and had more money which gave them self confidence and because of this, they were judgemental and esteemed themselves higher than others. The Cunninghams were uneducated but tried to fit in with the higher class so were easily persuaded and led, making them unreliable and racist. The Ewells knew that they were the absolute scum ‘white trash’ but they wanted someone to look down on, so chose the only class that would fit this category simply because of their colour; the Negroes. The Negroes were embittered...

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December 4, 2013
Sam Cung
ENG1D.-03
ToKill a MockingbirdEssay
The Novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, follows two young protagonists, Jem and Scout, as they mature and learn about the world. Growing up, Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) and Jean Louise Finch (Scout), are influenced by many different individuals. Two of the characters that influence the two children are Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra. In the novel, Miss Maudie displays to Jem and Scout: positivity, empathy, and tells them not to harm the innocent; while Aunt Alexandra teaches mostly Scout to keep calm even in difficult situations, to put your family first, and to comfort those who are going through a difficult time.
Miss Maudie has a great influence on Jem and Scout as they grow up. Always trying her best to stay optimistic about everything, Miss Maudie, after her house burns down, simply accepted it and said “Always wanted a smaller house [...] Gives me more yard” (Lee,73)....

...﻿In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the small-mindedness of the Maycomb community hiders Maycomb people to truly understand each other. Arthur Radley, also known as Boo, is assigned with negative characteristics without validation by the Maycomb community. As the story unfolds, Scout, the narrator, starts to know more about Boo Radley, Boo transforms from a mysterious and fearful person to the most heroic and sympathetic character in the novel. Scout experiences that hatred and biased will sully her knowledge of human goodness.
Lee uses first person narrative in the novel, which created a limited view of the events in the story. The story begins when Scout is five and ends when she is eight, this gives reader a feeling that we are growing up with Scout. Most of the time, we get descriptions of events from Scout’s point of view, sense of naivety is evoked as we get to experience just as Scout does. Lee’s figurative language shows how Scout, as a child, sees the world. For example, “Calpurnia was something else again. She was all angles and bones; she was near-sighted; she squinted; her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard.”, in this case, how Scout sees Calpurnia. The advantages of having both child’s eye view and adult commentary are they can work as a complement. Scout’s innocence highlights social prejudice, injustice and racism, we see events through her perspective rather than the coloured eyes of the Maycomb...

...Courage
Courage, courage can be defined by many things, people, and actions but courage to me is defined the mind, or the spirit of one individual that allows one to face danger, difficulty, or pain without fear. Acts of courage are extremely prevalent in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Courage is prevalent in all phases of the characters lives, and they have to act upon that in all phases. Throughout the entire course of the novel you will see courage in almost all the characters, but I see the most courage out of three characters. These three characters all have different motivations, they acted out their courage in three different ways, they all reacted to their adversity differently. The characters who exemplify this are Jem Finch, Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus Finch.
Jem faced great adversity, and was needed to be courageous throughout the entire book. He often would stand up to adults of the town, Jem often would buy into bets and do very courageous acts. One large example of Jem's courage is his action with the Radley house. He knew there was a threat of Boo Radley waiting for them with a gun. But he overcomes the possibility of being shot to please the others. His courage roots from pleasing Atticus, he would rather get shot than displease Atticus. With Jem being the oldest son of Atticus, there is a lot of pressure to be a shining examples for the other kids, and be the pride of the Finches. Jem must overcome any fear present, and do...

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In most societies, there are standards that help protect the citizens. However, when the standards are set by people who are prejudiced and bigoted the outcome can potentially be harmful to those whom the society deems “unacceptable” or “different”. To Kill a Mockingbird by the famed author Harper Lee is a novel that allows the audience to reflect on significant social issues and values in our society. The poem by Abel Meeropol titled Strange Fruit also reflects on the tragedy of discrimination. The novel deals with many issues that involve racial injustice, the destruction of innocence and class in the American Deep South. The poem, in just three verses, powerfully deals with the outcome of the social issue of racism in its most extreme form. The prejudice and bigotry are embedded in the social values and laws of a society. It is not until individuals and groups rally against the prejudice that change occurs.
The novel is set in Maycomb, a close-minded town that demonstrates racism and other prejudices. The town can be seen as a microcosm for the Southern States of the USA in the 1930s. Atticus, a white, well-respected lawyer and also a family man, lives in this town and is used in the novel as an alternative to racial prejudice. This attitude is shown when a pivotal event happens in the storyline which is the trial and conviction of an African American named Tom Robinson. Atticus decides to represent the man and, by doing this, puts...

...To Kill A MockingbirdEssay
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird a major theme is the loss of innocence. Whether from emotional abuse, racial prejudice or learning, Boo, Tom, and Scout all lose their innocence in one sense or another. The prejudice that each character endures leads to their loss. Through the responses of Boo, Tom, and Scout, Harper Lee shows how each character responded differently to their loss of innocence.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird the character of Boo Radley is the first to suffer the loss of his innocence. As a teen, Boo experienced trouble with the law and for his consequences his father imprisoned him in his own house. Because of the harsh consequences forced upon him by his father, Boo grew up without a real life and lived like a prisoner in his own home. One quote from the novel specifically says that the neighbors noted," The doors of the Radley house were closed on weekdays as well as Sundays "(15). By locking Boo inside his house and denying him the chance to live a normal life, Mr. Radley crushed Boo's child like innocence. Boo's response to his loss of innocence was to continue to live as a recluse even after his father had passed on. From the time he was a teenager, Boo was never seen outside his house even though at the time the story takes place he is middle aged. Although Boo could have come out after his father died, the effects...